If we chase our dreams long enough, they get tired of running.

Some Advice You Didn’t Ask For But Might Find Handy

At this time of year, almost sacred to writers the world over, it is even more important to set goals. Achievable goals. And I think it is on that point that we fall down. Setting goals is fine, notionally. Easy, even. Just write down what you want to achieve and do it. However, such flippancy in approach can lead to failure. Now, I’m not here to lecture you. I’m here to warn you. Before you can set out achievable goals for yourself, you need to know intimately, your own psychology.

I know, for example, that if I tell myself to do something, I simply won’t do it. If, however, I tell myself that doing this thing would procrastinate another action or in some crazy way rebel against the establishment, I can achieve my goal with amazing speed and efficiency. I also know that large goals don’t work for everyone and sometimes they need to be broken down into minute steps. Instead of “I’ll write 3000 words today” try “I’ll write 100 words in the next five minutes” In two and a half hours you’ve written 3000 words but tricked yourself into thinking its nothing.

It works for me, anyway. The fact remains, however, that you must understand how you think before you can create efficient goals. Good luck to those mad NaNo writers.